Page 20
' THE MIDGET
May, 1922
“OH! SWEET REVENGE”
-(By Paul Smith)
“My own lola, lola mine.” sang
Archie Northrop as he was strutting
down Main Street with his insepara
ble pal, Bill Spooks.
“Oh, can that stuff. You haven’t
done a thing but sing that song to
day,” bantered Bill.
“Yes. But you didn’t see her last
night, or you’d be singing too,” re
sponded Archie.
“Ah, dr^ up! Gan’t you think aibout
anything''but girls ? You’ve got to
straig'hten up and quit the mushy
stuff df you want to make good on
the’ team. We need you to hold
first.” ,
“Sour grapes, you’re just sore
’cause you didn’t see her. Myrtle
introduced me and, oh boy, talk
ab'oiif:'girls, why, she can’t be beat!”
“There you go. Night ’fore last
you said the same thing about Myrt
le.”
“I know I did, but that was before
I met lola. Well, here’s home. , So
long. I’ll see you tomorrow at ball
practice.
“No you won’t. Not if lola sees
you firstV‘'So long.”
As a little explanation, Archie was
the son of Mr. G. H. Northrop of
Bagten, Ala. Bill Spooks was his
constant companion. Archie liked the
girls and had been praising the
charms of Myrtle Johnson until he
met lola Sorthen, a cousin of Myrtle,
lola was in Bagten for the summer
and the promises of a romance were
many. However, a romance with
Archie was a small thing, for he had
had three before he had started to
go with Myrtle. Now poor Myrtle
was heartily wishing she had never
invited lola to spend the summer with
her.
School had let out for the summer
vacation but a few days before, and
the iboys were trying to organize a
base ball team. The time for practice
had come and Archie, t!he first base
man, was absent.
“Say, Bill, why didn’t you bring
Archie with you, you’re always with
him?” asked Shorty Tinny, the light
ning short stop.
“Gosh, I can’t tie a string to him.
I siaw him in the morning and he
promised to be here. I bet that new
girl’s got him somewhere.”
“Well, I guess ^no by golly, here
he 'comes, now we can start.”
“Boys,” isaid Arohie as he walked
up, “I can’t play ball this year. I
got to work.”
“Work,—you work?” demanded the
lanky pitcher, “I’ll ibet you’ll work.”
“Huh, you just watch me. I got
a job at the Supui^be Motor Company.”
“You mean your Dad’s garage?”
“Yep, I got to help around the
0 ce.”
“A lot of (help yoiu’ll be, with lola
in town,” ^poke out Bill.
Ah, quit your kidding, I’m work
ing to make some money. I might
need lit some day,” said Archie in a
secretive tone.
“But what are we going to do for
a.first baseman?” queried Shorty Tin
ny.
“I don’t know. Get Bill to play
fiirst. Well, boys, I got, to leave. Hope
you have a goiod team.” With these
parting words, Archie beat a retreat
to the garage.
For one week Archie worked faith
fully at the garage and for one week
the iboys .searched in vadn for a first
baseman. Finally the boys gave up
looking for one and Bill filled in at
first, a little sawed Off Jew taking
bis iplace in lecflt field. But this did
not work well, and the'practice fell
short of what it ought to have been,
so we will leave the boys worrying
about the match game of the season
with the rival town of Storksville and
take up the story of Archie’s ro
mance.
I have said that for one week Archie
worked faithfully at the garage.
This (was so evident at supper Satur
day that his father wanted to knov;
if he were sick, but ah, it was not
^ong ’till it fell. Just before leav
ing to go to his room that night, Arch
ie asked his father for permission to
use one of the cars the next day.
His father, unsuspecting old man, but
his mother, more wise to his purpose,
knew that something was up. Never
theless Archie, working his father
skillfully, goit a car the next day and
for many days afterwards, at no
time did Archie ride alone. Always
a little girl who answered to the name
of lola (was along.
In this way matters went along
very smoothly foir a while and Arch
ie felt that at last he had struck the
girl for him. But alas, one day not
long after he had thought this, he
espied lola riding with a boy from
Storkville. Only the day before, she
had stated that never would there be
another fellow like Archie for her, so
he had a violent attack of doubt when
he saw her riding with another fel
low. He feared that she was play
ing a two-handed game, and cruel
fate, he soon found this to be so. The
next morninig Bill Spooks showed him
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